Newsom campaign manager Juan Rodriguez said in an interview that turnout in an off-year election driven by the governor’s foes has “been a concern from day one.” Newsom and allies have spent weeks touting the governor’s record and assailing the recall as a power grab driven by opportunists and the Trump-aligned fringe. In the weeks ahead, the campaign’s focus will shift from making the case for keeping Newsom to reminding voters of their role.

“It becomes less about persuasion and more about voter awareness and making sure people know an election will happen Sept. 14 and they will receive a ballot in the mail,” Rodriguez said, “which is an anomaly, not something people are generally thinking about.”

That will entail trying to text every registered Democrat with a phone number on file, along with in-person contacts and an advertising blitz, Rodriguez said. Democrats will follow up with voters to collect and turn in completed ballots as California law permits. The Newsom campaign has enlisted nationally recognizable messengers like Warren, who pointedly noted in the new campaign spot that “every Californian will get a mail-in ballot.”